Comiket 85

Boy, does that suck the life out of you.
The “choose your own adventure book for fetishes” is back for it’s Winter incarnation. Maybe it was because I went on the first day this time (for 83 and 84 I never did) but the crowds were even more insane last time. At least in December it’s not roasting-hot inside Big Sight, but as much fun as it is Comiket really is an endurance test.

That said, I’ve been to Comiket on days that targeted both fujoshi (like Day 1) and otaku (while there’s overlap, each day does have a focus) and without question, the fujoshi days are more pleasant. They simply have more of a positive attitude – you can tell that for most of them, this is actually fun. With the male otaku it seems like work – check every item off your list before it sells out, and shove people out of the way if you have to.

It’s hard even to get good pics in those kind of crazy crowds – the industry halls were the worst – but I do have some below. Note the massive crowd of cosplayers. I also took some video to show just how long the lines just to get into the damn booths of the top vendors were – this one is for Key, but Type Moon and Aniplex were similarly absurd. Stopped by the H x H and Yowapeda booths – nice video wall at the Madhouse Booth, but the merch was better at Jump Festa.

As for the doujin side, I continue to be impressed and even inspired both by the sheer enthusiasm so many people have for this subculture, and the incredible number of talented artists this country has. So many of these guys are really, really good – in every genre, every fandom there are seemingly endless numbers or really good creators. This is kind of what the point of Outbreak Company was, it seems to me – it’s truly remarkable that this exists in Japan and nowhere else in the world, and whether it’s relevant to their interests or not, the Japanese ought to take some pride in it.

What trends did I see? Well first off, while I’m not much interested in the franchise it was great to see Kurobas back (massively) at Comiket – last year they caved to the terrorist threats and refused to let anyone exhibit. Surprised by how many AoEx circles there are. Haikyuu! is truly destined to be a massive hit with fujoshi. Evangelion continues, still, to be huge with every demographic in the anime marketplace. There were a few H x H circles – not a lot – but as expected, quite a large (several rows) Yowapeda section including one of the prized feature spots at the end of the hall. That was the last hall I hit and many of the Yowapeda circles were packing up an hour early, but that’s actually a good sign – it means they were selling out. I even saw a few Ruroini Kenshin tables, which was nice – after all these years, it still has a following. Lastly, I did see one girl cosplaying as Koto among all the Recon Corps and Inazuma Eleven legions.

I may go back once more over the next two days, but I kind of doubt it – I really am exhausted from just once, and it costs way more to get to Odaiba than it should considering how close it is.

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7 comments

ishruns

I don't and probably never will agree with the concept of hentai doujinshis but I do think the massive copyright infringement that occurs twice a year at Comiket is something that really only happens in Japan. Anime/manga subculture is probably the only industry of its kind and size where from the top to the bottom everyone simply loves it and they want to preserve that passion forever. The studios and publishers remember what it was like when they were at Comiket and have never tried to stop it or take a cut of the profit and that would simply never happen in any other industry. It's a very Japanese thing I believe for culture and industry to come as one. It's a give and take relationship – the fans for the studios as the studios are for the fans.

Glad that YP is so popular as it can last quite some time even beyond its announced three cours on air.

admin

I would add, there was a time when the industry wasn't so friendly to the doujin crowd, but at some point they realized that all these "infringements" were massively helping the popularity of their brands. The industry halls at Comiket are a relatively new thing, but they're a sign that the industry has completely given up on the notion that stopping doujin creation is either possible or wise.

thedarktower

LOL, this giving me vibes of Genshiken HaHa.so much crowded and doujinshis and all..definitely Genshiken.not to mention that the weather was in favor for cosplayers, namely – no rain and seems sunny as possible.

yes, I am not a fan of doujinshis at all..but I am glad YP fellows are popular enough to have them in Japan.

I also noticed some Gingitsune stuff in one of the pictures. I hope it's not doujinshis XD